The Ekiti State House of Assembly has summoned former Governor Ayodele Fayose to appear before it to throw light on alleged misappropriation of local government funds while in office.
Also summoned are former Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Dapo Olagunju, former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs Kola Kolade and 16 former local government chairmen.
The Assembly, in its plenary Thursday, took the unanimous decision sequel to the adoption of the recommendations of the joint committee of the House on Public Petition and Local Governments on a petition submitted to the Assembly by eight suspended PDP council chairmen.
The Assembly had on December 18, 2018, suspended indefinitely the 16 council chairmen and 177 councillors to pave way for a forensic audit of the councils’ accounts over alleged fraud.
Eight were reinstated in July, following a petition they filed, appealing for their reinstatement. Others were suspended for further forensic investigation.
Presenting the report at Thursday’s plenary, the Chairman of the Public Petition Committee, Adegoke Olajide, said the remaining eight chairmen on suspension made a plea to the House for the review of their indictment and possible reinstatement.
Olajide said the suspended chairmen during an appearance before the committee confessed to have diverted funds of their councils on monthly the basis to an account, but said the action was in compliance with the directive of the immediate past governor.
He said the council chairmen, who provided documents to back up their allegations, claimed that the instruction to withdraw the councils’ fund was often passed to them through Olagunju and Kolade.
The assembly also summoned a former Speaker of the House, Kola Oluwawole, some suspended members of the Fifth Assembly as well as the former governor over the passage of a N10 billion revised appropriation law towards the end of the former governor’s tenure.
The motion for the summon was moved by the House Leader, Gboyega Aribisogan, on the recommendation of the report of the ad hoc committee.
But, Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, was also directed to appear before the lawmakers for alleged un-remittance of revenue of above N13 million while serving as a supervisor at the state-owned broadcasting service.
The summon was consequent upon a motion moved by the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Ayokunle Yemisi and seconded by Femi Akindele representing Irepodun/Ifelodun Constituency 1
The Speaker, Funminiyi Afuye, said the lawmakers would continue to do their best at sanitising the state and ensuring prudence in the management of its resources.
Afuye urged the anti-graft agencies to freeze his account immediately.
In a reaction, Fayose, through Olayinka, said: “Fayose will not dignify an Assembly of clowns, who are under the total control of a governor, who is desperately in search of ways to cover his electoral thievery and failure to secure the acceptance of Ekiti people.
“If they have any evidence of financial impropriety against him (Fayose), they can ask the man who used SMS to appoint them to invite EFCC operatives and accommodate them in the Government House as he has done on many occasions. As for us, we are moving on.”